Conventional ball and socket hitches, on light trucks, for pulling trailers add weight to the truck rear axle and reduce weight on the front axle. Side loads on the trailer are transferred through the rear hitch ball on the truck and tend to force the steered front wheels on the truck to one side or the other. Hitch weight must be limited for some trailers to be pulled by light trucks.
Gooseneck trailers move the pivot point forward relative to a truck rear axle where more weight can be transferred to the truck, weight distribution on the truck is improved and the trailer effect on the truck steering is minimized when compared to a rear mounted hitch on the truck. These advantages make it possible to pull a heavier gooseneck trailer or carry more cargo on a trailer pulled with a truck than could be pulled with the same truck using a rear mounted ball hitch.
Alignment of a truck with a gooseneck trailer when connecting the trailer to a truck can be somewhat difficult. The driver of the truck may not be able to see the hitch component attached to the truck due to the vehicle configuration or other cargo carried by the truck.
Gooseneck trailers tend to be larger due to their ability to haul more cargo when pulled by trucks with a given cargo capacity and the fact that such trailers may have two or three axles. As a result of trailer size and weight, it is difficult to obtain alignment of truck and trailer connector assemblies. Experienced drivers can generally align a truck with a trailer and position the truck mounted connector within about a foot or less of horizontal alignment with a trailer mounted connector. With a person on the ground guiding a truck and truck driver, it is possible to reduce horizontal misalignment between truck and trailer connector components to six inches or less. Where one of the connector components is a two inch diameter ball, horizontal alignment must be within about two inches. Obtaining such alignment can be difficult even when using a second person as a guide.
Construction standards for hitch couplers connecting a trailer or other component to a towing vehicle vary substantially depending upon a number of factors. Trucks pulling trailers weighing more than 2,000 pounds at highway speeds generally have components that have little or no relative horizontal movement between components. If there is relative movement the loads that occur when the truck brakes are applied or the trailer brakes are applied after the truck has slowed can result in substantial impact forces. These forces will cause wear and may lead to hitch failures. Hitches with ball and ball socket connectors generally eliminate impact forces if there is sufficient weight forcing the ball into the socket, the ball is clamped securely into place and the ball socket is clamped securely or welded into place.